Flax and Fire: Lila v Helga
by Mokichan2
Summary: It's Lila's birthday! Everyone seems excited for the party celebrating her special day, except Helga, whose day keeps getting worse and worse until the two girls find themselves locked in an unexpected situation
1. Chapter 1

"Happy Birthday, Lil' sis!"

Helga screamed as she stumbled out of bed, inundated with the unexpected sound of noisemakers and confetti. When she was finally awake enough to make sense of the situation, she realized that the culprit was none other than her older sister, Olga. Helga narrowed her eyes and glowered.

"Are you INSANE? What are you doing here? And it's not my birthday!"

Olga tittered lightly, totally unaware of Helga fuming. "Silly baby sis – I know that," she turned on one heel and sauntered over to the door. "But as part of my commitment to the Big Sis, Lil Sis program, it's my responsibility to give the best older sibling experience possible. And since my quote-unquote "Lil Sis" is celebrating her birthday tomorrow-"

"Wait a minute," Helga cut her off. "You're using me as the guinea pig for some other skirt's birthday? And isn't your "Lil Sis"—"

"—Your classmate, Lila! I just want this to be the best birthday party ever for her. I'm sure you don't mind?"

Helga's eye twitched. "Get out of my room," Helga said evenly, pointing at the door.

"But, Baby sis…"

" _NOW_ ," Helga said, sternly. Olga complied, and closed the door behind her. Helga sat in her confetti-littered bed for a moment and sighed, resigned.

* * *

Helga was already in a putrid mood by the time she made it to PS 118. Not only because Olga had acted as her impromptu alarm clock, but Miriam had (once again) forgotten to pack her lunch, and Big Bob spent a good portion of the morning barking at Helga for not being Olga. Even her best friend Phoebe knew to give her space when she stormed downed the halls without even so much as a "hello". And for some strange reason, Helga attributed her lousy mood to the existence of Lila. That was why she was staring daggers into the back of her head until just before lunch, when Lila had unexpectedly placed a sheet of paper in her hands.

Helga glanced at Lila bitterly. "What's this?" she said.

"An invitation to my birthday party tomorrow," said Lila. "I'm inviting all of my classmates to join me on Saturday. Your sister went through a lot of trouble to plan the whole thing, and—"

"Pass," Helga said, handing the sheet of paper back to the redhead.

"Oh," said Lila, flustered. "I just thought…since you and I were friends…"

"Come on, Helga, just take the dumb invitation!" egged on Harold. "Everyone else is going!"

"Yeah Helga, don't be such a wet blanket!" chided Gerald.

As her other classmates razzed her on, Helga became increasingly annoyed. At last she, snatched the invitation from Lila's hand and stood from her chair.

"I'm not your friend, I'm barely your classmate, and I wouldn't go to your birthday party under penalty of death. So stop treating me like one of your charmed, lovesick saps, _Li-la_ , because your phony-baloney act doesn't work on me, and it never will!"

And with that, Helga crumpled up the invitation and through it squarely in Lila's face, causing the rest of the class to gasp. Lila said nothing, merely opting to silently return to her seat.

"Helga Pataki!"

All eyes turned to the front of the room to Mr. Simmons, who had also watched the entire drama unfold, and was visibly upset. He folded his arms and tapped his foot, and frowned disapprovingly at Helga.

"I'm so very…very disappointed in you. In this class, we are a family, and we don't treat other members of the family like that. It's about acceptance, it's about caring, it's about having to not explain to your mother why it's perfectly fine for you and your friend Peter to enjoy the opera instead of sitting at home to watch hockey to the incessant caveman jabberings of your toque-wearing brother-in-law and—"

"Mr. Simmons?" interjected Phoebe.

Realizing he was going off on a tangent, Mr. Simmons immediately turned red in the face. "Yes….I mean…what I'm trying to say is, family treats family with respect."

As Mr. Simmons continued on with his tirade, Helga resumed staring hateful daggers in the back of the head of a surprisingly stoic Lila, until he called her name again. "What?"

"I said I think it's best you skip out this recess and use the time to remember the special bond family should have in your life. You're to have lunch detention, Helga,"

While the rest of the class _oooohed_ at the punshiment doled out, Helga merely clenched her fist and gritted her teeth in contempt.


	2. Chapter 2

Helga played with her pencil as she sat alone in the classroom designated for detention students. At the front of the class, sitting at the teacher's desk, was Ruth P. McDougall, acting as detention monitor, but more engrossed with the conversation she was having on her phone.

"Uh….yeah, I know…you think Chad saw it?...I hope he doesn't mind…"

Helga rolled her eyes and diverted her attention to the window, where she got a clear view of the playground; her classmates were already outside and enjoying their recess, while she was cooped up inside due to her previous transgression.

"This blows," Helga grumbled to herself. "It's bad enough I'm holed up in here, but as added punishment I have to listen to the inane, vapid chatter of this airhead? Cripes, just end me here…"

Meanwhile, on the blacktop, the rest of Helga's class was clamouring around Lila and getting excited for her upcoming birthday party.

"This party's gonna be funner than a dang ol' turkey shoot!" exclaimed Stinky, who was sitting on the monkey bars.

"I heard there's gonna be games, a live band, a petting zoo…" said Sid.

"Yeah, and lots of cake and free food!" laughed Harold.

"You must be getting very excited," Sheena said to Lila.

"Huh? Oh…yes, I suppose," replied Lila absently.

"Is everything ok?" asked Arnold, concerned.

"Actually….all this sun is making me feel ever so lightheaded…." she admitted.

"Perhaps you didn't apply an adequate amount of sunscreen for today's outdoor exposure," theorized Phoebe.

Curly rubbed his palms together and laughed wickedly. " _It rubs the lotion on its skin…OW!_ " (Rhonda had interrupted him with a firm slap to the face).

"Are you sure you're alright?" asked Rhonda.

"Yeah," chimed in Gerald. "What if you're coming down with something just before your big day?"

"I'm sure I'm fine, but I think I should go to the nurse's office to be on the safe side," said Lila, standing up.

Arnold followed after her. "Let me go with you," he said.

Lila smiled at him politely. "That's ever-so kind of you, Arnold. But it's really not necessary."

"I insist," said Arnold. "If you're not sure why you're feeling this way, I should accompany you. In case its something serious."

Lila's smile waned (but ever-so-slightly). Well….ok, Arnold. If you insist."

Helga couldn't quite hear the conversation taking place on the playground, but her attention was certainly piqued when she saw Lila and Arnold walk away from the group together.

"Criminy, now Lil' Miss Sunshine's gotta steal away Arnold from me too?" she hissed under breath. "That's it – no more Miss Nice Pataki. I'm getting to the bottom of this…"

Helga stood up from her desk and approached the front of the class where Ruth was still continuing her conversation on the phone.

"Ahem," she said, trying to get Ruth's attention; when that failed, Helga did it louder. " _AHEM._ " When that didn't work, she kicked the teacher's desk, and Ruth finally met her eyes.

"What?" asked Ruth, annoyed.

"I gotta take a leak," explained Helga. "So hurry up and give me a hall pass."

"I'm not supposed to let you leave unless you're sick or something. Then I can let you go to the nurse's office."

Helga crossed her arms defiantly. "Fine – my shingles are acting up."

Ruth stared at her blankly. "What the heck are shingles?"

"Oh…let's just say that they're very contagious, and they tend to make potchy marks and boils all over your face. So you can excuse me, or you can run the risk of catching them and ruining your upcoming date with Chad."

Ruth couldn't through the pass faster at Helga, making sure not to make any contact. "Just go, alright? Get out of here!"

Helga took the pass and smiled at Ruth with faux-innocence. "Thank you, Miss Detention Monitor lady," she then exited the class. "Well, that was easy. Now I just have to find out where the football-head and the red witch went…"

She didn't have to wonder for very long; Arnold and Lila appeared in the hallway, causing Helga to hide the nearest row of lockers.

"You sure you're OK?" asked Arnold as they stood in front of the door to the nurse's office. "I can stay with you if you'd like."

"I'm fine, Arnold, honestly," replied Lila. "You really don't have to fawn all over me."

Arnold rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "I know, I was just…worried about you. I care about you, Lila."

"I know you do, Arnold – that's why you're such a wonderful friend." Arnold frowned a little when she used the word 'friend' but then brightened up when Lila approached him and gave him a light peck on the cheek. "I'll be fine. Go join the rest of your friends."

Reluctantly, Arnold started heading back, and Lila entered the nurse's office. When the hallway was empty again, Helga went into soliloquy mode.

 _Why, Arnold?_

 _Time and time again you fall for the firey wiles of that temptress harpy, LI-LA_

 _Yet there's already a flax-haired heart reaching out to you_

 _When will you see that we are meant to be_

 _And that flax and fire have no place for you and me?_

Right on cue, the sound of wheezing began in Helga's ear. One firm backwards fist over her shoulder, and Brainy was promptly laid out on the floor.

Helga stormed toward the door, literally fuming with anger.

"Lila…you _traitor_ …!"

She peeked inside through the window in the nurse's office door. She could see Lila talking to the nurse (Sheena's aunt), who then pointed to one of the open rooms containing a cot. Lila walked into one of the rooms and sat on the cot.

This perplexed Helga. "Why is she just sitting there? I knew it! She was faking it the whole time just as an excuse to get close to Arnold!"

The nurse unexpectedly went for the door, causing Helga to hide behind it as it opened.

"I'll be right back, dearie," explained the nurse, who then walked in the same direction as Arnold previously.

Helga used the opportunity to slip inside the office and approached Lila, who was still in her own little world sitting on the cot. "Hello, Lila…"

Lila broke from her reverie and stared and Helga, surprised. "Helga? What are you doing here?"

Helga took a step closer. " _I_ ask the questions around here. What were you doing with Arnold?"

"I-I wasn't feeling well, and Arnold wanted to—"

Helga scoffed. "Oh yeah, you look _real_ sick right about now. You can cut the crap, Red – I know you're trying to steal Arnold away from me."

Lila stood up from the cot. "I can assure you that absolutely nothing is going on between me and Arnold."

"Then why did you fake being sick just now?"

"I—" Lila took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "That's none of your business."

This act of defiance caught Helga off guard. Staring down Lila, she cracked the knuckles on Ol' Betsy and took a step even closer. "Oh yeah? Well, I intend to _make_ it my business…"

Helga grabbed Lila by the wrist and twisted, causing Lila to cry out. "Ow! Helga, please stop, you're hurting me...!"

"Tell me the truth!" demanded Helga.

Lila retaliated by using her free hand to grab Helga's pink bow, pulling it down and causing her blonde hair to fall over her eyes. This momentarily disoriented Helga, and Lila used the opportunity to escape Helga's grasp. When Helga got her bearings she chased after her. " _Lila! Get back here!_ "

Lila made her way to the door leading back to the hall, but Helga had cut her off. Lila then went to her left and went for another that was left ajar, labelled 'Supply Closet'. At the entrance, Helga pulled sharply on one of Lila's braids. In the scuffle they entered the closet and the door slammed shut behind them. Eventually Helga had Lila by both braids; Lila conceded defeat by kneeling on the ground.

"Now are you gonna talk or what?"

The muffled sound of the school bell ringing could be heard from inside the closet; Helga released Lila. This was bad – ideally she had hoped to straighten out Lila and return to class without anyone being the wiser. Now as she realized the folly of her plan, she knew that she'd wind up in even bigger trouble than before; she may even get suspended!

"OK look – none of this ever happened," Helga said to Lila, who was still on the ground. "You keep quiet about all of this, and I'll let you carry on your phony baloney act. But next time: _leave Arnold out of it!_ "

Helga went for the door and tried to open it, but the knob wouldn't turn. She jiggled the knob frantically then proceeded to bang on the door. After a minute of this, Helga slid to the floor in horrible realization.

"Criminy…it's locked!"


	3. Chapter 3

Helga paced back in forth in the small space of the closet.

"I can't believe it - we're trapped!" she cried. "I should've paid more attention to my fortune cookie last night: 'Beware impulsive deeds, for they will lead you into the belly of the beast'. Or locked in a closet with one, anyway." As she said that last remark she glared angrily at Lila, who was sitting calmly on a long bench across from the door.

Helga approached her. "Push off, I'm sitting here!"

Lila looked from one side of the bench to the next, then at Helga in confusion. "But…there's plenty of room for both of us to…"

"I said MOVE!" Lila immediately sat on the floor, as Helga used the entire length of the bench to lie down. "I guess there's no point wasting energy. The nurse will be back soon and once she sees you're missing, it'll be just a matter of time before she finds us both in here."

* * *

In actuality, the nurse (Sheena's aunt) had left the office to attend to Eugene Horowitz, a fourth-grader from both Lila and Helga's class, that had taken a nasty tumble on the monkey bars. Concerned he may have sustained a concussion, she opted to drive him to the hospital to get him thoroughly checked.

"Don't you worry, dear," said the nurse, her eyes fixed on the road ahead of her. "We're just going to the hospital to take some x-rays. We'll be in and out, and you'll be back with your little friends in no time."

"I'm okay….am I okay?...what's okay…who are you?" asked a rambling Eugene in the backseat.

Just before her car crossed the intersection, the green light of the stoplight had gone out. In order to avoid colliding with oncoming traffic, the nurse slammed on the brakes.

"Oh dear…" She muttered to herself.

* * *

Mr. Simmons flicked the light switch on and off repeatedly, but the classroom remained dark. "Oh dear…"

He turned to face his students. "People! Let's not panic. It appears as though we're experiencing a power outage. Yes, Stinky?"

"Does this mean we can go home?" said Stinky, the lanky kid with the big nose and Southern drawl.

"Well, if the power isn't returned soon, then yes, I'm afraid."

"A shortened school day? All right!" laughed Harold.

Phoebe raised her hand. "Mr. Simmons, perhaps I should go retrieve Helga and Lila?"

Mr. Simmons smiled. "That's very conscientious of you, Phoebe. I'm sure the nurse and whoever was watching Helga will escort them back to class. In the meantime, let's try and get through this social studies chapter…"

The class groaned as Mr. Simmons continued to teach.

* * *

The power was never restored, and the students of P.S. 118 were released from shool early that day. Minutes turned into hours, and it soon became apparent that no one was coming to release the two fourth-grade girls locked in the nurse's closet. Fortunately, there was a battery-powered lantern, and that acted as their source of light.

"Helga?" asked Lila.

"What?" snapped Helga.

"I don't think anyone's coming to get us," she admitted.

"Well, aren't you a regular Sherlock Holmes," Helga remarked drily. She sat up, then walked back over to the door and gave it a solid kick. "Stupid urban planning infrastructure….I could design a more efficient city in my sleep, for cripes' sake!"

"It's not all bad," said Lila.

Helga silently rolled her eyes.

"Let's play a game – how about 'I spy'. I spy with my little eye, something that is….green. What do you see that's green, Helga?"

Helga gave a sidelong glance at Lila. "Please don't tempt me."

"Come, on Helga! Sure it's a bit scary to be trapped in here, but…it can also be a bit fun if you let it! Being alone together like this in the dark…it's almost like a slumber party!""

"How can you possibly be this perky all the time?"

"Well…somebody has to…" Lila explained.

Helga scoffed bitterly. "Criminy…now you're starting to sound just like Arnold-o."

"Isn't that what you like about him?"

Helga flinched, then glared coldly at Lila. "What did you just say?"

"Nothing! Forget I said anything!" Lila covered her mouth with her hands.

In two steps, Helga was baring down on the redhead. "Let's play a new game. I call it 'The Silent Game'. You just sit here and don't say another word until that door opens again. Got it? Good. And who said you could take my spot?!"

Lila obediently sat on the floor while Helga took up residence on the bench again.


	4. Chapter 4

It was evening. The sun had long since set; but the two girls locked in the nurse's office at PS 118 were none the wiser.

The girls were not speaking to each other in the closet; Helga lounged restlessly on the bench while Lila sat cross-legged in the corner.

The silence was cut out by a low, drawn out groan. Lila lifted her head to regard Helga. "Sounds like you're hungry…"

Helga turned away so her back was facing Lila. "Sounds like someone just lost 'The Silent Game'…." The low grown came a second time, and her hands went to her stomach.

Lila fished in the pocket of her dress and approached the bench where Helga rested. Only when she felt her presence behind her did Helga turn back around, finding herself face-to-face with a wrapped treat.

She glowered. "I don't want your charity."

"I know you're hungry, Helga," Lila said gently. "I noticed you didn't pack a lunch today, and I figured we both could sh—"

Helga grabbed the item and unwrapped it, devouring the entire treat ravenously.

"Do you like it? It's homemade. Your sister and I worked on the recipe…"

At the mention of her sister, Helga began to close up again, turning away from Lila.

Lila kept going: "If you'd like, you could come to my birthday party tomorrow and I could show you how we make it. You seemed to like it."

Helga tossed the wrapper over her shoulder and across the tiny room. "It was okay. And I'll pass."

Lila walked over to the wrapper and stooped down to pick it up. Just as her hands touched the wrapper, the lantern had went out and the girls were awash in darkness.

"Great, just great," said Helga. "As if this day couldn't get any worse…"

"Helga…" Lila's voice sounded small in the darkness but it rang clear.

"What?"

"I just wanted to know….why do you hate me so much?"

The question hung in the air for what seemed like an eternity. The sound of Helga shifting to the sitting position could be heard.

"I don't hate you," she replied, but in a harsh tone that implied otherwise.

"Are you sure? Because….I've been nothing but civil to you since I've moved to this city, and it seems like you've had it out for me since day one. I mean, what have I done to upset you so much?"

"Lila…." Helga gave a resigned sigh, then the sound of her getting up could be heard, followed by the sound of her stumbling over something. "OW!"

The lights flickered back on, revealing that Helga had tripped over and broke a mirror. She was kneeling on the ground, clutching her hand.

"Helga, are you alright? Are you bleeding?"

"No, I'm fine!"

Lila ignored her protests and was by her side without hesitation. She pulled at her own dress and ripped out a length of fabric to be used as a makeshift bandage.

"Let me see your hand," instructed Lila.

Helga hesitated at first, clutched her hand tighter to her chest, then relented, reluctantly offering her injured hand to the redhead.

"It doesn't look that bad…" said Lila. "Hand me that first aid kit next to you."

Helga obeyed, and Lila immediately went to work dressing the wound with the kit's contents, while Helga had opted to stare at her fractured reflection in the cracked mirror.

"You want to know a secret?" asked Lila.

Helga shrugged. "Sure."

Lila began the process of bandaging. "I'm actually not looking forward to my birthday tomorrow."

Helga scoffed in response. "Oh, please – I find that hard to believe. You practically invited the entire school to your party."

"I dislike my birthday, because it reminds me of my mother. She passed away the day before I turned six. I thought a really big party would distract me enough to not think about it, but I guess I was wrong. That's why I came to the nurse's office. The only person I was trying to fool was myself."

Lila was focused on the task at hand, so she didn't detect the look of horror plastered upon her face at that revelation. "Lila…I…."

"There, finished!" Lila released Helga, who inspected her newly bandaged hand.

"Lila…I don't hate you," Helga repeated. "I hate the fact that we always seem to be at odds with each other. I hate how easy it is for you to be everything it is that I'm not. I hate… _THIS_."

Lila looked at the space that Helga was motioning at and frowned. "…the nurse's storage closet? Why?"

"Being cooped in here all day with you…not having a moment to myself…it makes it really difficult for me to…express myself."

Helga would elaborate no further, but as she spoke she turned a bright shade of pink.

"Oh? Oh…." The realization hit Lila. "Well…I don't really mind. And there's no one else here watching. I won't say anything."

"Are you sure?"

Lila nodded. "Go for it."

"Ok…" Helga took a deep breath, then stood up with such speed and force that it literally knocked Lila to the ground.

 _"Oh Fate! Thou art a cruel, contemptuous calamitous mistress of chaos, confining me here with my mortal enemy. I thought such dire happenstance would bring about both of our undoings, and yet, in this brief time cloistered away for the rest of humanity, I've come to realize that she's not all that bad! She's not the manipulative succubus whose sole purpose was to steal Arnold from me! No! Behind those freckles beats a heart that's as fiery and passionate as the locks that adorn her head. I was foolhardy…I was mistaken…and I'm sorry."_

She swooned, and then turned to looked at Lila. "Thanks I needed that."

"Oh, don't mention it," said Lila, still splayed out on the floor. "Wait – do you hear something. It sounds like…"

The sound of wheezing entered the space, and seemed to be coming from the grated air duct adjacent to the ceiling. The grate popped off and a familiar pasty boy's head emerged from inside.

"Brainy!" cried Helga.

"What are you doing in the air ducts?" asked Lila.

"Uh….I don't know….something…."

Helga rolled her eyes. "Of course. Well, how about doing something to get us out of here?!"

Brainy gave a quick salute and then retreated back into the recesses of the air vent.

"Where do you suppose he went, Helga? And how did he even know we were in here?"

"Search me," said Helga. "That boy's always had a habit for showing up in the most unexpected places. Looks as though it will finally work to our advantage."

Helga grinned, feeling a little smug, until the sound of the school bell ringing and the sprinkler system going off caused water to rain down on both of the girls.

"I stand corrected."

"No, don't you get it, Helga?" said Lila. "Brainy just activated the fire alarm. That means they'll be sending firefighters to the school. Help is on the way!"

"Yeah – only problem is we're still locked in this closet, and at the rate this water is falling, they're more likely to find two bloated corpses by the time they even reach us!" Even as she spoke, the water level had risen just above their ankles.

Lila's enthusiasm was quickly dampened by Helga's words. "What are we going to do? I can't swim!"

Helga pondered for a moment. "I have an idea. Lie back on the bench."

Lila obeyed and Helga proceeded to kick at the metal fasteners that affixed the bench to the wall.

Lila sat up a bit and looked at Helga in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"Lie back down!" Helga commanded. "I'm trying to unhinge this bench so that you have something to keep you afloat when the water rises." At this point the water was already at Helga's waist.

Lila looked worried. "But, there's plenty of room for both of us on the bench…."

"Maybe, but I'd rather not chance it. Besides, it's your birthday. You've got people expecting you to make it to own your party alive."

"Helga…"

The first bolts came undone from the wall, and Helga was about to start work on the next one when a pounding noise started emanating from the door. After the third pound, the sharp blade of an axe had burst through the door from the other side. A masked head appeared from the hole the axe created.

" _Heeeeeeeeeeeere's Johnny!"_

This startled both girls; Helga leapt onto the bench and both she and Lila gripped each other tight while screaming.

"Whoa whoa, hey girls, it's alright! I'm just a fireman! See?" He immediately pulled off the mask so that the girls could see his face. "Didn't mean to startle you – I just like spouting movie quotes whenever I rescue people. Hang on…"

After several seconds, the door opened, and the water poured out into the rest of the nurse's office. "Ooh ooh ooh! How about this one – *clears throat* – 'it's time to take you out to lunch.'"

The girls stared at the firefighter as though he was crazy, refusing to get up from their spot on the bench even though they were finally free.

"From 'The Abdicator'? Really? Nothing? Kids these days…" he grumbled.

* * *

After being rescued, Lila and Helga found themselves outside, sitting at the back end of a fire engine. There were still wet, but were each bundled in thick blankets and nursing a paper cup filled with warm liquid.

"What an exciting day," Lila said, taking a sip from her cup.

"I think I've had enough excitement to last me until my 20th birthday," quipped Helga. "But I suppose I could've been cooped up with worse company."

Lila smiled slightly.

"Oh my goodness!" came a shrill voice from nearby.

Helga sighed. "Speak of the devil…"

The shrill voice came from Helga's sister, Olga Pataki, who was accompanied by Lila's father. The two of them stopped immediately in front of the girls.

Lila was immediately wrapped in a hug by her dad. "I was so worried," he said as he gripped her tight. "Thank goodness you're okay!"

"I'm fine, Daddy," she said, and in a twist of irony she was the one that had to comfort him.

Meanwhile, Helga was practically fighting off Olga's attempted embrace, if only to avoid her mascara teared-stained face.

"Baby sister! I didn't even realize you were missing!"

"Uh yeah – no one bothered to check that I never came home from school today?" remarked Helga, annoyed. "I could've been lying in a ditch for all you knew! Where the heck were you guys?!"

"I was preoccupied with preparing Lila's birthday party. Oh, by the way—" Olga immediately bumped Helga from her spot on the back of the fire engine so that she was sitting right next to Lila. "Your father and I were looking all over for you! I was able to get most of the planning for tomorrow done, but there's still the matter of choosing a cake flavour, picking the music, designing your birthday wardrobe...You should come over and we'll get the finishing touches worked out tonight. You can sleep in Helga's bed!"

Lila looked up and noticed that Helga was now several feet away, her back to the rest of them. Her body language was difficult to read, but even though she was still wearing the blanket, it looked as though she was shivering.

"Actually, Olga," Lila said gently. "I'm certain that the party will be ever-so-wonderful even without my input. I don't think it's necessary for me to come over. In fact, Helga and I were just talking about having our own little birthday sleepover tonight at my place."

At the mention of her name, Helga straightened up. Rubbing her face with her hand, she regarded Lila carefully. "What did you say?"

Lila approached her. "Don't you remember? We planned a special birthday slumber party. Just you, me, and no parents or meddling big sisters." She winked as she said it.

"Is that true, Baby Sis?" Olga asked.

"Uh…yeah, it is," said, and took secret relish in watching her sister's face fall.

"I guess we should be heading home now, sweetie," Mr. Sawyer said.

"See you tomorrow, Olga!" Lila said in her ever-so-pleasant manner.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," said Helga, mimicking Lila's tone. "Be sure to save that hot air for all those balloons you need to make."

They walked away, leaving Olga standing by herself next to the fire engine. The firefighter who had saved the girls earlier, appeared next to her, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Here's looking at you, kid," he crooned.

* * *

Mr. Sawyer did not have a car, so the three of them made the way to Lila's home by foot. This didn't bother Lila or Helga, who appreciated using their legs after being cooped up for so long.

"Is everything OK?" asked Lila. Helga, who was noticeably silent, seemed to be lost in her own thoughts.

"Huh? Oh yeah…listen, what you did back there…I want to thank you for that."

"No thanks is necessary."

"I just feel a bit crummy; it's your birthday and I haven't even gotten you anything."

"You're wrong, Helga. You've given me the greatest gift I could ask for."

Helga blinked. "What? Protection?"

Lila giggled. "No silly – your friendship." She smiled warmly at the blonde, and for the first time, Helga smiled back. The two girls walked side-by-side, no longer enemies, no longer flax and fire, but just friends.


End file.
